The terms “branding” and “marketing” are often used interchangeably, but, while they are both services we offer at Creative ID, they are distinct and different concepts. However, like shoelaces and shoes, branding and marketing are at their best when they work together. In many cases, they enhance the offering.
Put simply, branding is who you are and marketing is how you spread awareness.
Branding is your identity, it is built from your core values, your beliefs, and your culture. Branding is the embodiment of everything that makes your company unique, and it should be represented at every touchpoint from your logo to how you speak.
Marketing is how you tell people about your brand, products, and services. It’s advertising, direct mail, social media, promotional events, and word of mouth. Marketing is any activity you undertake to make people more aware of your business and what it offers.
Marketing without branding makes it almost impossible to build a loyal customer base. You may sell individual products to one-time buyers, but you won’t give them an identity to associate with, encourage them to come back, or empower them to spread the word.
If every element of your marketing is created to represent your branding, then you are selling not just single products, but your entire business.
From the channels we use to how we use them, marketing is constantly changing, and faster than ever before. Whether using print, broadcasting, digital, or social media, marketing trends are always evolving and, while previously this occurred over months and years, modern media means trends today can last just weeks.
Marketing has to respond quickly to this moving environment if it is to be effective, but it should never do so at the cost of losing its brand identity. By filtering all marketing activity through the constant of your brand, its values, and its style, you ensure that you are always building, selling, and affirming the identity which makes your business stand out.
Your marketing is a fundamental touchpoint of your brand and should always be treated as such.
If your branding is clearly defined, then your marketing can react to its environment while ensuring it remains unmistakably “on brand”. Behind the scenes, this requires expertise and diligent work. To your customer, it should appear seamless. If you have created branding that fits naturally into your customers' lives, by giving them something to align with, aspire to, or take comfort in, then your marketing can make that brand part of the conversations the customer is already having and, in turn, generate conversations about your brand.
Just like a Michelin star chef elevating a classic dish with their skill and creativity, it is the seamless integration between well-established branding and fluid marketing which helps your business grow most effectively, and it is why we offer both services together.
For a marketing agency to be effective, it needs to intimately understand its client's branding. By being both a branding and a marketing agency, Creative ID is uniquely positioned to help generate continued success and constant brand growth.
We join the dots between branding, marketing, and customers to help businesses get noticed and create long-lasting connections with those customers.
Just as shoes fit best when they are laced neatly together, marketing is at its most effective when it ties together a clear, well-designed and consistent brand. The stronger this bond between brand and marketing the better the fit will be. Working seamlessly together, your business can reach new audiences and sustained growth.
If you would like to create the right fit for your business, please contact Vaishali, Founder and Creative Director of Creative ID, about how your branding and marketing can work effectively together. Please also enquire about our new ‘Elevate’ Marketing services.
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Email [email protected], visit our website www.creative-id.com or call +44 (0)20 7242 1877.